Daughter of Sunlight
by Alias 2v10
Summary: Every child likes to imagine what it would be like to have superpowers. To be able to do marvelous feats like shooting bolts of lightning, or flying, or healing wounds as if they were nothing. They imagine themselves as the next Legend, the next Alexandria or Hero. They think that they'd be willing to pay the price to get these amazing abilities. I did. If only I could get a refund
1. Ch 1-1

_**Every child likes to imagine what it would be like to have superpowers. To be able to do marvelous feats like shooting bolts of lightning, or flying, or healing wounds as if they were nothing. They imagine themselves as the next Legend, the next Alexandria or Hero. They think that they'd be willing to pay the price to get these amazing abilities. I know that I did. If only I could demand a refund.**_

 **Daughter of Sunlight: 1.1**

 _ **August 14th, 2009 - Friday**_

I had just returned from a two-week long summer camp. It had gone about as well as I had expected it to honestly. I found out that while I was decent at arts and crafts I was decidedly NOT decent at soccer. You can only take so many high-speed balls to the face before things start to get annoying.

...And that's where Emma would have chimed in with a "That's what she said." comment. God, I miss her. She had been there for me for years. She had been friends with the geeky, awkward person that was Taylor Hebert. When Mom died in the car crash last year she stepped in and was the sister I never got the chance to have.

Two knocks on my bedroom door caught my attention. "Taylor, honey, are you okay in there?" my dad's voice sounded from outside my bedroom door. I tried my best to give him an answer but all that came out was a strangled sob.

No, Dad, I'm not okay. I haven't been okay since Mom passed away. I thought I was getting better. Then some bitch and her friends went out looking to make some quick cash and get "initiated properly" into the 'Azn Bad Boys'. They held down my best friend and slit her throat for _fun_. I should have known something was wrong when she had hung up so suddenly on me...

"Taylor? I'm coming in." The door opened, Danny moving into the room before suddenly stopping. I couldn't see his face through the tears in my eyes but I knew why he had stopped.

"What… What is that? Taylor? Did you?"

I don't blame him for being confused, I know I was at first. One second I'm curled up on my bed, crying my eyes out while clenching my fists so hard that my nails pierced the skin. The next thing I know I'm staring at the blood on my hands, the only thought going through my mind was about how easy it would be to fix that. Then I'm holding the solution.

It was obvious what had caused Dad to stop so suddenly. Floating in front of where I was sitting on my bed, still practically curled into a ball, was an orb, no larger than a softball. If it wasn't for the definitive glow around it's outside it would have been almost transparent. The faint motes of light flowing from it to surround my form were practically white, if not for the faintest tints of a goldish amber.

"Y-yes…" I managed to choke out. God, I sounded pathetic. The dried blood on my hands was the only traces left from my injuries, the rest having been healed by the light enveloping me. Their warmth had healed the physical wounds, but one thing was horribly clear to me.

No matter how much my body was healed, these powers could not heal my broken heart.

Then his arms were around me, the motes flowing around him also. As his tears began to fall also I knew the reason. I knew that my father knew a decent amount about parahumans seeing as Mom had been involved in Lustrum's movements. Dad knew what a trigger event was. To him, it was proof to him that his only daughter had been broken, and that he had been able to do nothing to protect her from it.

As we sat there, him holding me as we both cried, the dark part of my mind couldn't help but throw out a thought that chilled me.

 _What would I do if I lost him too?_

* * *

 _ **August 15th - Saturday**_

The next morning came too early for my liking. While nothing else had been said last night, I knew that meant that breakfast was the likely time for his questions. As I made my way down the staircase I could smell that Dad was already awake and probably making breakfast. Turning towards the kitchen however I could see him already at the table eating.

"There are still some scrambled eggs in the pan." he said from where he was seated, sounding just as tired as I felt. "I left the bread next to the toaster also."

I quickly grabbed a couple slices of bread to pop into the toaster before grabbing a jar of jelly from the fridge. Taking a plate, cup and a fork from the cabinet next to the sink I scooped the rest of the eggs onto the plate and filled the cup with water before sitting across from my father.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes as I ate, the bland food helping wake me up. Finally, after the plate was empty, I decided it was time to get to the inevitable.

"She's really gone… Isn't she?" I muttered quietly, my voice cracking towards the end.

Dad hesitated for a few moments before answering. "Yeah, she is. It surprised me when Alan called me about it on Wednesday. His family was devastated when it happened and he knew you wouldn't take it well. We agreed to not tell you until you came back..."

"I knew something was wrong the day it happened, Dad." I cut in. My voice was a bit louder now, but it still refused to keep level. "I had called her on the payphone at camp and she hung up on me mid sentence. She would never have done that without a reason. I used the last two quarters I had trying to call back, but... she never picked up..."

Oh, the tears are back again. There goes any chance of me being able to hold any meaningful conversations for awhile. Thankfully, Dad seem to understand as he moved to the chair next to me and wrapped an arm across my shoulders.

"I know it's hard, Taylor. I've lost my share of friends to the gang violence of Brockton Bay. It's never easy, but we learn how to push through it." The small, wistful smile on his face as his gaze lost focus let me know that he was thinking back on some of the friends he had lost throughout the years.

Then just as suddenly as he had started reminiscing about the past his focus was back on me.

"Now then, what happened last night?" his questioning began. " I know I sprung the news on you suddenly right after we got home, then you ran upstairs crying. When I went upstairs to check on you not even two hours later I found you with bloody palms and some sort of orb floating in front of you. Was this something you have been able to do for awhile, or is it because of what happened?"

After sniffling for a bit I was able to respond. "New… Not sure how I did it… I just… wanted to feel better…" and then once again I couldn't form words.

As my head laid on the table, trying and failing to calm down, I heard the phone ring. I tried my best to focus on what was being said after Dad answered it, but the only word I heard was 'Emma'.

I don't know how long my father was on the phone for, but I was startled back awake when he put his hand on my back. I managed to glance up, which served to remind me just how tired he looked too.

"That was Alan. The funeral is set for tomorrow, but he wants me to come over to talk about some things. Did you want to come with me?" he asked.

I wanted to say no. I should have said no, but some part of me thought that maybe talking with Emma's family might help. With my decision made I tried to answer, but my voice refused to cooperate. All I could do was give him a small nod.

"Okay. Get yourself cleaned up a bit and then we'll leave. I'll handle the dishes."

* * *

"We're here, kiddo." my dad said from next to me. The modest, two-story house we had parked in front of had so many good memories tied to it, each one feeling as if another knife was being stabbed into my heart.

I'm not sure how I managed to get out of the car and walk with him up to the front door without bursting out into tears again. Dad knocked on the door, and within moments we were being ushered into the house by Emma's mother, Zoe.

"Thank you for coming by on such short notice, Danny." Alan said from where he sat at the table. "Please, take a seat."

Looking around the house was painful. Not even a month ago this house had felt almost as much like home as my own house did. Now it felt like everything had changed. All the happiness that had been here was gone.

Alan had taken the seat at the head of the table, looking much older than he had two weeks ago. A large mug of coffee was in front of him. I recognized that mug as one that I had gotten for him for his birthday a few years back. Emma had helped me pick it out.

His wife Zoe was seated next to him on his right, resting her head on her arms. It was obvious just how tired they both were. As my father sat into the seat across from Zoe I heard a noise from the nearby sofa. It was Anne, their oldest… only… daughter. She was half-curled up on the nearby sofa, clutching onto one of the decorative pillows. From what I could see of her face it was clear that she was barely awake and barely paying attention to anything. I took the seat next to my father as Alan began talking.

"First of all," he started, turning towards me. "I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did Taylor. I know that Emma had been on her phone with you just before it happened and that you tried to call her back. We would have told you sooner, but we wanted you to enjoy the last of your time at camp."

All I could do in response was stare at the table and nod slightly. Alan's face looked a little more relieved after this, likely having been guilty about things.

"As I was telling you earlier, Danny, the funeral is going to be tomorrow afternoon." Alan said. The fact he was able to keep his composure was surprising. "We got a plot close to where Annette was buried. We thought that she would have liked that."

"Yeah… They both would have liked that." Dad responded from next to me. "Annette loved that girl like a daughter, and we both know how Emma was."

It was then that Zoe lifted her head and joined in the conversation. "I'm just glad that Shadow Stalker showed up when she did. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost both of you.

That stopped me cold. Somebody had shown up and saved Alan, but hadn't been able to save Emma?

"Who… Who is Shadow Stalker?" I heard a voice say. It took me a moment to realize that I had asked the question. Surprisingly, it was my dad who answered the question first.

"She is a local independent hero from what I remember, though she has only been around for a few months, maybe a year top." Dad stated from next to me. "Pretty sure she's the one in the black bodysuit and cloak, and really likes crossbows if I'm remembering correctly."

"Yeah, that's her." Alan said. "The thing is… I'm pretty sure she was there when we got pulled from the car. I'm almost certain I saw her on one of the fire escapes as they dragged me out." His voice cracked at this point, shattering the calm, if tired, front that he had been displaying.

"Are you sure that she was there from the beginning?" my father asked Alan. "With how hectic things must have been you could have imagined seeing her before she was actually there."

"I'm positive she was there. She must have been there at least thirty seconds before she dropped down onto my car." Alan paused with a sigh, taking a short sip of his coffee.

"I'm not sure if she just didn't have a good angle to shoot from where she had been or if it was something else. One of the ABB members saw her the moment she dropped down and alerted the rest. By the time she managed to get a shot off with her crossbow bolt it was too late."

Alan's voice was starting to raise, waking up Anne from where she was on the sofa. "The paramedics said that Emma was already gone by the time they got there. Even Panacea couldn't have saved her at that point. I couldn't do anything to help even if I had wanted to"

As Anne burst out crying another dark thought crossed my mind, similar to what I had thought last night…

 _With my powers, if I had been there… I could have saved her..._

* * *

"Come on, load faster already." I muttered as I sat in front of my computer. Even though it was only a few years old it could only do so much with the dial-up internet our house had.

I was not trying to watch videos or anything like that thankfully. I was doing a search on Parahumans Online, or PHO for short, trying to find a post that I thought I had seen recently.

A couple minutes later my patience was rewarded, and then some.

"Bingo." I said as I read through the posts that had turned up when I had searched for 'Shadow Stalker'. The more I read however, the more angry I became.

 _Vigilante. Seems to enjoy using more force than necessary. Uses broad-tipped crossbow bolts that can easily cause fatal wounds if not used carefully._

And then I found the one I had been looking for…

* * *

► BrBayFadeAway

Replied on June 5th, 2009

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one she's done this to. She WATCHED as that Empire scum beat the shit out of me and my boyfriend. Only when my boyfriend tried to fight back near the end did she actually step in. If those nazi assholes had pulled a knife and stabbed us to death I'm sure she would have just let it happen. She's not a hero, she's a fucking opportunist at best.

 **User has received an infraction for this post: we understand your frustration, but please try to watch your language.**

* * *

I found a couple more posts like this one, and the more I read them the more furious I got.

That bitch LET Emma die! She probably could have stepped in at any time to save her! Instead, she just let her die… let her be murdered right in front of her for no reason.

With my anger mounting came some familiar motes of light surrounding my arm. I don't need healing damnit! Shadow Stalker let Emma die and has probably let other people die! That post was right! She's no hero, she's a violent vigilante who needs to be put behind bars!

I didn't noticed that the light hadn't been trying to heal me at all. The more anger I let flow through me the more lights formed. I didn't notice the small arcs of lightning forming along my forearm, the familiar amber-white light slowly overtaking the light coming from the computer monitor.

"That bitch!" and finally, as my anger peaked I swung my arm as I turned away from my computer.

It was only when the light shot from my hand in the form of a small shard of lightning did I notice the difference. Thankfully the lightning only blew a small hole in the wall when it hit just above the headboard on my bed, but the noise definitely caught Dad's attention. It didn't take him long to reach my door.

"Taylor! Are you okay? What was that noi..." He shouted as he opened the door, stopping suddenly as he saw the last lingering arcs of energy fading from my arm. Then he saw the hole in the wal. "Wh-what did you do!?"

Staring at my hand a thought came across my mind. If I was going to take down Shadow Stalker, I would need help. And who better to help take down a violent vigilante than…

"Dad." I said, my voice more firm than it had ever been. Clenching my fist caused another few brief sparks. "Tomorrow, after Emma's funeral, we need to go visit the PRT building. I want to join the Wards."

 _If I'm going to become a hero by taking her down, it will be easiest to do so with the backing of the professional heroes._

I just hoped I wasn't making a huge mistake.


	2. Chapter 1-2

**Just as a heads up to any readers: I have also posted this story on Sufficient Velocity. That is where I will be having the most communication with my readers. It will also be the best place to find background information, explanations and omakes as they appear.**

* * *

 _ **Daughter of Sunlight - 1.2**_

 _ **August 16th - Sunday**_

Waking up Sunday morning was almost as much of a chore as waking up the previous morning had been. My body was sore from how I had slept, especially seeing as I had spent most of the night tossing and turning. As I sat up from my bed my gaze caught the hole in the wall that my lighting had caused.

That was when the past few days came crashing back on me. How my best friend had been killed, the fact that her funeral was today…

...That there had been somebody who could have saved her, but didn't.

With that the anger I had felt last night was back. My shaking hands once again clenched into fists. When I opened my eyes again I saw that my forearms and hands were once again surrounded by small motes of lights, crackling slightly with electricity.

I forced myself to take deep breaths. Dad wouldn't want me to put another hole in a wall because I couldn't control my new powers. I was lucky that the first hole was both small in size and only had damaged the wall to my closet.

Thankfully I was able to calm myself fairly quickly, the sounds of electricity slowly dispersing. Instead of letting the light fade away however I decided to try to see if I could control it.

As it turns out, controlling my powers wasn't overly difficult, just tedious. I was able to slowly condense the smaller orbs into a familiar larger sphere, letting that float in front of me for a minute. I knew that the warm light it emanated would do nothing to help the anger or sorrow I was feeling, but it surprised me at how quickly the aches and pains from sleeping wrong faded.

I decided that while I was already testing some things out with my powers I might as well see if I could learn anything new about them. Refocusing on the light I tried to split it back into the smaller motes that I had originally brought forth, just to find that the sphere refused to let the smaller bits of it go.

Letting go of my control over the sphere also didn't seem to do anything. It just continued floating where I left it, still emitting the pleasant warmth. It wasn't until I specifically focused on it dissipating that it did so, fading rapidly into nothingness.

Trying something new I decided to focus on the feeling that the sphere had produced. Closing my eyes I focused on that feeling of warmth and healing, letting my mind bring up memories that I felt matched how the light had felt. Memories of better times, when both Mom and Emma were still with me.

As I opened my eyes I stared in awe at what I now held in my hands.

"Wow." I breathed, looking at what I had created. While it was still definitely just a small sphere of light, it was much different from the ones I had been making before. Instead of being mostly white this one was a vibrant gold color. Spread throughout it like veins were streaks of amber and silver, reminding me of the colors of the sunrise over the bay.

I then chose to open my hands, expecting the orb to float in front of me like the other one had. Instead, this orb burst like a firework, covering almost the entire room with its glow. The warmth it released felt like a warm summer day had somehow been combined with the embrace of a loved one, causing the few remaining physical aches I had to vanish.

However, the feelings it invoked instead brought forth feelings of despair and misery. As the light faded, I collapsed onto my bed, tears already forming.

"Of course…" I muttered. "All I need to use my powers better is to think about Mom and Emma…"

I was seriously regretting trying out my powers first thing in the morning…

* * *

I stared at the hole in the grass in front of me. The white marble of the gravestone above it glistening from the sunlight, her coffin shaded by its resting place. I don't remember much of how Dad managed to get me out of bed and to the funeral, and based on the empty feeling in my stomach I probably hadn't eaten today.

I tried to look away, trying to find anything to distract my thoughts with. It was a beautiful summer day today, with clear skies and a faint breeze. It was the type of day that would have been better spent wandering the boardwalk or going to the Lord Street Market with friends.

Instead I was here, watching the coffin containing the body of my only real friend get buried. I really was beginning to despise this cemetery. Being here last November was bad enough, at least then I had the cold weather to numb my body as Mom's death had numbed my mind. Today offered no such comfort.

It really is amazing to think just how much can change in such a short time. A year ago I would have never believed just how much I had to lose. The car crash in November had let me know that nothing was safe, and this week had stolen so much of what I had left.

The funeral itself wasn't too large, only a couple dozen people at most. Outside of Alan, Zoe and Anne I only recognized a few of the people, like our classmate Christine. Alan appeared to be quietly talking things over with a woman in a well-tailored suit next to him. I couldn't make out what was being said, but by his face it wasn't good news.

As Alan broke off from the conversation he walked over to where my dad was standing. It was then I noticed what my dad had held in his hands. _Shovels._

The two men worked together even as the tears rolled down Alan's face, the soil slowly being returned to its proper place. Each shovel full they dumped back into the hole sealing the finality of the event in my mind. She was gone. Murdered, by a combination of the plague infesting this city and the inaction of the one person who could have saved her…

 _And I was going to do my best to make sure that both got what they deserved._

* * *

The sun was still shining brightly when the grave was finished being filled. I didn't know exactly what time it was, but I knew it probably wasn't too much after noon. Most of the people had been slowly filtering away until there was only a few of us left. My dad stood next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we stood there. Alan, Zoe, Anne and the woman in the suit came walking over, though it was apparent that the woman would be leaving shortly.

"Thank you for coming today, Carol. It really meant a lot to us." Alan said, having managed to regain some of the composure that he had shown the previous day.

The woman gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do more to help you, Alan." she started. "All we have is a couple of common first names and a crossbow wound that will probably be treated by one of the gang's doctors. Make sure you get some rest, I don't want you to be too burned out when you come back to work."

It was then that I recognized who Alan was talking to. This woman was Carol Dallon, better known as Brandish of the hero group 'New Wave'. This brought back memories of how excited Emma had been one day when she called to let me know that she had met Glory Girl. Emma had talked for a good hour about how awesome it was that her dad worked with one of the members of New Wave. I hadn't known that Alan and Carol were close friends before this point however.

For a brief moment I thought about asking her about the parahuman powers I had gained. If it wasn't for the fact that I didn't want to reveal to the Barnes that I had powers yet I might have done so. The decision was quickly taken away from me as Carol left, leaving it as just the five us standing in front of Emma's grave.

"Taylor, thank you so much for being here today." Alan said as he gently laid a hand on my shoulder. "I know it must have been incredibly hard for you…"

I nodded briefly as the feelings from today welled back to the surface. Emma was gone. It wasn't like I was going to wake up one day to find out that this was all a dream. No matter how much wishing I did, the ideas of 'what if' would never be. She was dead, and there was no changing that.

As the tears started flowing from my eyes again I could barely hear my dad talking with Alan. Without warning I found two sets of arms around me. Blinking fiercely I realized that it was Anne and Zoe hugging me, tears falling from their eyes also.

It was several minutes of crying later before I was released from their bearhug. I still was barely able to make out my dad saying something about picking up some food and mentioning that we had some errands that we needed to get done today.

It was probably about fifteen minutes into the car ride before I remembered what the errands were that Dad had mentioned. We were going to the PRT building today to hopefully get me into the Wards. I was suddenly doubting my decision from last night. Here I was, eyes red and nose watering from all the crying I had done today. This wasn't the type of first impression I wanted to give them.

"No…" I muttered, barely audible even to my own ears. If I let myself walk away I might never work up the courage that I would need to get things done correctly. If they didn't like me now then oh well. If they won't take me at my lowest, they wouldn't deserve me at my best.

"What was that, kiddo?" Dad asked from the driver seat. Oh, he had managed to hear that I had said something.

"Food first please." I managed my first words since this morning. "I need chocolate..."

* * *

Lunch ended up not being anything special, but that was to be expected when you get it from a small gas station. The packaged turkey sandwich had been a tad dry and the canned iced tea was mediocre, but at least the chocolate bar was good.

Unfortunately traffic was moving rather slow through the downtown today. There were families out enjoying the great weather. Teens, taking advantage of it being one of the last weekends before school started back up. Then there were the occasional groups of skinheads or druggies skulking down the side alleys.

Even this close to where the PRT building was this was still Brockton Bay. As long as they stayed out of sight and didn't cause obvious trouble they would likely not get bothered by the police or heroes. I didn't like that status quo it represented, but there was nothing I could do about it.

We finally arrived at the 'Parahumans Response Team, Brockton Bay East-Northeast Headquarters' building. Calling it a single building wasn't doing it any justice, however, even if it did look rather plain. The main part was at least ten stories tall, the winged shield logo displayed proudly above its main doors.

One of the wings easily visible from where we had parked held a full hospital, though it mostly functioned as a way to discreetly treat injured PRT employees alongside members of the Protectorate and the Wards. Another wing held a small museum dedicated to the exploits of the Protectorate throughout the years, though I thought this was mostly just used as a way to convince children to get merchandise from the attached gift shop.

It had only been a few weeks since the last time I had been here. Emma had insisted that we take a tour while some Protectorate heroes were visiting from out of town. We had been lucky that day as Adamant had come from New York along with a couple of their Wards.

And now the empty feeling of depression was coming back. Great...

We entered through the front doors before bypassing the crowds gathered at the entrance to the museum and gift shop. We swiftly make our way to a desk towards the back of the lobby. The woman at the desk glanced up and greeted us with a smile.

"Hello! Welcome to the Brockton Bay PRT HQ! What can I help you with today?" She asked with what sounded like faked enthusiasm.

"Hi, I called here earlier today. My name is Danny Hebert and…" Dad trailed off as he dug a small slip of paper out of his pocket. "I'm supposed to have a meeting with somebody about… The tinkertech coffee beans and a swarm of bees that I found in my mailbox?" What…

As I blinked in confusion the woman's smile seemed to fade, being replaced with a look that I would have more expected from an on duty police officer than a receptionist.

"Right." she started. "If you two would just follow mister Bowen here. He will show you where you need to go."

Bowen was a rather unremarkable man. Overweight and of average height, he was obviously not a field agent in any regards. This was further reinforced by his slightly lopsided glasses and the shirt pocket full of pens. He quickly led us through one of the side doors and into an elevator that took us to one of the upper floors. From there he led us to what was obviously a small waiting lounge.

"You're going to have to wait here for a few minutes." Bowen said as he took a seat in one of the chairs. "Director Piggot is off today and Deputy Director Renick is currently meeting with somebody. If you need anything, just let me know."

* * *

A few minutes quickly turned into a half hour as we sat there. Thankfully there was a water cooler nearby, which I took full advantage of as I took another sip of chilled water.

Finally, the door to the office opened and out stepped two men. The first of the two men surprised me. He was at least a few inches taller than Dad was, which was impressive as Dad was just shy of six feet tall. His wiry limbs and thin physique didn't exactly look healthy to me, but the look in his eyes reminded me of how my father used to look after coming home from meetings over the ferry. He glanced briefly over me before moving onto where my father was seated next to me, his eyes widening slightly.

"Well, well. If it isn't Danny Hebert." He said as his thin lips pulled into a smile. "It's been years since I last saw you. I wish I could stay and chat but I'm on a tight schedule." With this the man quickly took a business card out of one of his suit pockets.

"Call me sometime, I might have some work lined up that the dock workers could help with."

After he handed my father the business card he strode away swiftly, followed by Bowen. This just left me, my father and the other man holding the office door open.

"Ah, Danny and Taylor Hebert? I'm deputy director Renick. Please, come in and we'll get down to business."

 _Here's to hoping that things go well…_

 **End chapter 1.2**


	3. Chapter 1-3

**Before I start this chapter I just want to clear up some potential confusing things from the last chapter.**

 **First of all, the random things that Danny had said to the receptionist was a reference to the " _Armsmaster's Random Excuse Generator_ ". I highly doubt that any government agency would actually use obscure code words like that for what are supposed to be discrete meetings.**

 **Next, the floor that the meeting is on, which will be referenced later in the story as the ninth floor, is supposed to be a highly secure floor. Nobody goes in or out without proper clearance and approval. People who have a high enough clearance CAN access this floor, but only as long as there is also not anybody there who doesn't have the proper clearance. For these matters the floor is also supposed to be locked to a tight schedule during times that people who don't have proper clearance are present. This obviously didn't happen as intended. ;D**

* * *

 _ **Daughter of Sunlight - 1.3**_

The first thing I noticed upon entering the room was the complete lack of windows. It was disconcerting at first, making the room feel more like a jail cell, rather than the office space of one of the most important PRT employees in the region.

"Sorry about that." Deputy Director Renick said as he pulled up his seat behind his large desk. "An old friend of mine dropped by unexpectedly and we were catching up on old times. I probably should have informed the front desk to not send you up until we were done."

My dad and I sat down on the pair of folding chairs that had been set up across from him. While they were nowhere near as nice as the seats had been out in the lounge, they were still much better than what I had expected.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Though I am surprised that you know Tom also." my dad replied with a small smile. "He used to hire out the dock workers quite frequently back when his company was building the local Endbringer shelters. Not the friendliest of guys, but great at what he does."

To that Renick gave a smile and a nod. "Quite. So, first of all, there are just a few pieces of information that I need to ask of you before we can get you signed up for the Wards. While I would like you to be as honest as possible with your answers, if you feel uncomfortable with answering any just let me know."

"Okay." I responded. "What do you need to know?"

"Alright, first question then. What powers do you have?" Renick asked, readying a clipboard.

"Well… So far I have two powers that I know of." I began, pausing briefly as the Deputy Director began writing. "They both seem to start as the same thing, small motes of light around my arms. From there, I can turn them into either lightning bolts or orbs that emit a healing light."

He briefly nodded as he finished writing on his clipboard. "Alright then Taylor, how long have you had your powers?"

"...Two days." I answered after a brief delay, looking down towards the floor. "I got my powers two days ago, Friday afternoon."

An odd clicking noise caught my attention. Bringing my eyes back up I noticed the look of confusion on Renick's face. His eyes had widened and the blank stare he was giving me was rather unsettling.

After a moment he seemed to compose himself before reaching down to the floor. It was then I realized that the clicking noise had been from him dropping his pen. Had my answer really been that surprising?

"I'm sorry, but did you say that you got your powers two days ago?" I nodded in response to his question. "Wow… that is really quite strange."

"How so?" Dad asked from his seat next to me.

"Are you aware of how parahumans get their powers, their trigger events?" Renick asked. We both nodded our heads in agreement. "Some parahumans don't even realize they have a power right away. Others decide to take some time to sort out what they can and cannot do, test their limits. The normal time frame for when a parahuman decides that they want to join the Wards or Protectorate is generally measured in months, not days."

Renick took a quick pause to write something down on the clipboard. "Generally the only times members of the Wards join up quickly is when they have an obvious trigger event in either public or in front of their parents, resulting in their parents trying to force them into the Wards for their own safety. Even then, they normally take at least a week or two."

That made sense to me. Parents who knew that their kid had superpowers should want them to be in the safest situation possible... Unless they were members of one of the local gangs or they were the type of parents that would use their kids for their own benefit.

"I have to ask this," the Deputy Director's voice broke me from my thoughts, "if you are being pressured into joining the Wards by your father you have the full right to say no. We are not allowed to force you to join against your will."

The small noise of indignation that I heard from next to me made me glance to where my dad was sitting. I was surprised when I saw that this single question had annoyed him as much as it appeared to have.

"Are you asking me if I'm forcing my daughter to join the Wards?" he asked, small amounts of anger slipping into his voice.

The Deputy Director shook his head quickly at this. "No, I am not. However, this has occurred before. Things got out of hand when the child decided to run away from home instead being forced to join. We try to avoid having repeats of that happening."

I reached out and set my hand on Dad's leg, giving him a reassuring look. Turning back towards Renick I gave him a small smile as I responded.

"I'm the one that asked Dad if I could join the Wards. I insisted that we try to get in as soon as we could."

This seemed to cause Renick to relax into his chair. He smiled as he made a couple more notes on his clipboard before looking back up at us.

"Very good." he said from across the table. "Now for some of the potentially uncomfortable questions. Why do you want to join the Wards?"

The question took me by surprise, though it really shouldn't have. I knew the answer to this question. I wanted revenge against the people who murdered my best friend. I wanted revenge against the so-called 'independent hero' that had watched it happen, only jumping in when it was already too late.

I also knew that giving the reason of 'revenge' as a reason to want to join team of heroes was probably not the best possible answer.

"I…" I hesitated as I tried to think of a way I could put it that wouldn't sound too bad. Or I could just say that I wasn't comfortable answering the question, but what would that make the PRT think?

It only took me a few seconds to think up an answer, but it felt like much longer to me. I took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking.

"My best friend was recently killed by the one of the gangs." I began, tears beginning to build up as I thought back to when I had just gotten the news. "I want to help stop the gangs that think they can do anything here in Brockton Bay. I want to do whatever I can to help this city become a better place."

Was my answer a tad cliche and corny? Most likely, but I hoped that it was the type of answer that would have me seen in a better light.

...And now I'm crying again. The combination of my lack of sleep and everything that had happened the past few days once again crashing around me. Why did all of this have to happen to me? Why couldn't I just turn back time and have my best friend back? What wouldn't I give to have the ability to talk to her just one more time?

I felt a pair of familiar arms pull me into a hug. As my father held me I cried into his shoulder. I didn't care that I was in a meeting with the Deputy Director of the regional PRT. I didn't care how this affected how I was seen by the PRT in the future. All I cared about was that I had lost my best friend, and that she wasn't coming back.

And so I cried.

* * *

It took about twenty minutes, and more than a couple of tissues, before I was in any state to continue with the questions. Deputy Director Renick looked rather uncomfortable with the situation, but in a city like Brockton Bay I was sure he understood what it was like to lose a friend suddenly.

"It's okay." Renick said with a reassuring smile. "Most parahumans refuse to talk about their trigger event. From what it sounds like you just told me about yours, correct?"

I nodded slightly in response, blowing my nose in another tissue as he made another note on his clipboard.

"Are you ready for one of the last questions?" I nodded again. "Okay then, could you please give me a brief demonstration of your powers?" Renick asked. "Nothing destructive though, so how about the healing light you mentioned?"

I nodded for a third time, closing my eyes as I focused. As I did so I could feel as the motes of light began forming around my arms, slowly condensing into a sphere between my hands. When the sphere was large enough I reopened my eyes before holding it out in front of me.

Upon releasing the light from my hands it floated in front of the three of us. The light it emitted looked dim compared to the lights in the ceiling, however the feeling of warmth spread from where the light shone onto me. I felt relieved as my reddened eyes and runny nose both cleared up swiftly.

 _Now if only it could treat the cause of my tears, instead of just curing the symptoms._

The sudden, deep breath from across the desk let me know that the Deputy Director had also felt the change caused by the light. I wonder how many small aches and pains just cleared up for him?

"Alright, I can definitely feel that." He said, glancing interestedly at the sphere. "We'll need to do some full testing on what the rest of your powers can do later, along with the limits on your healing."

With that I made the light dissipate. While Renick looked somewhat surprised by this, he was quick to regain a neutral composure.

"So, while I think I already know the answer to this question I still have to ask this." He started as he addressed both me and Dad. "Are you both completely sure on having Taylor join the Wards?"

My father glanced briefly at me, with which I responded with a small smile and a nod of my head.

"Yes, we are sure. We both believe that she should be in the Wards."

The Deputy Director smiled at our response, before opening up a drawer in his desk. The stack of papers he pulled out was rather discomforting. How many things were we going to need to sign for this?

"Don't worry, Taylor, a good chunk of this is informational pamphlets." he said as he removed some of the papers and put them into a satchel that he had hidden under his desk. I recognized it as one of the ones from the gift shop downstairs.

When he handed me the satchel I noticed that the satchel also contained a couple of t-shirts from the gift shop, enough to completely conceal the papers.

It was then that I realized that even though probably three quarters of the papers hadn't needed to be signed, the rest of the stack was still sitting in front of us. Oh boy…

"Well, it's best for us to get started quickly." Dad said from next to me, picking up . "Just make sure to read everything carefully."

 _I wonder if my power will heal wrist cramps…_

* * *

Over the next hour or so I learned that yes, my powers can effectively heal the cramps caused by signing so many legal documents. I just hoped that it didn't become a common occurrence, especially seeing as Dad insisted on going over everything as closely as he possibly could.

'Never sign anything without reading everything' He had said, followed shortly by a story about a time when some members of the Dockworkers Union had been denied being paid due to an unnoticed clause in a contract. It sounded a little far fetched to me, but I didn't want to take any chances with a choice that could affect the rest of my life.

As the Deputy Director finished reviewing all of the papers that we had signed he placed them back in the drawer.

"Alright, looks like almost everything is in order." Renick began. "We'll make sure to give you a call in a couple of days to set up your power testing and introduce you to the rest of your team."

Renick paused briefly, quickly looking at one of the notes he had written on his clipboard.

"However, there is one minor issue. Due to how close it is to the beginning of the school year, we won't be able to transfer you into Arcadia without it being obvious to the faculty that you're the new Ward."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked. "What do you mean? I was going to be transferred to Arcadia?"

The blank stare I got from across the desk was rather unnerving, even though I was getting used to him doing it. Why was this man so easily confused?

"That's… Huh… I thought that…" Deputy Director Renick muttered from across the table. "I guess that it isn't completely common knowledge that almost all of the current members of the Wards attend Arcadia. It just surprised me that you hadn't known."

Now it was my turn to stare blankly. My father was the one who decided to break the awkward silence next.

"Why would all of the Wards go to Arcadia?" Dad asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have them spread out throughout all of the schools in the city?"

Renick shook his head at this. "Arcadia is only a few minutes away from the PRT building, even by foot. Alongside this, the way Arcadia has their schedule set up means that a good amount of the students only have their core classes up until noon, which allows the Wards to leave earlier in the day with less suspicion."

"Additionally," Renick continued, "Immaculata, Winslow and Clarendon have all refused to allow any sort of program that would allow the Wards to be able to leave earlier in the day. Clarendon and Immaculata are also significantly farther away from the PRT building than Winslow is. Unfortunately this means that for at least the first semester, and probably your entire freshman year, you will have to attend Winslow."

"Wait a second." Dad quickly cut in, confusion on his face. "Why are you making it sound like Winslow is such a bad place for her to go to school?"

"You must have not talked to anybody who has kids in Winslow about it." Deputy Director Renick began. "Winslow has probably the lowest funding for any public school its size in the entire state. Along with that, it's also reported as being one of the most common places that the major gangs in the city like to recruit younger members from."

As my dad and I exchanged glances over this new information, one thought crossed my mind.

 _Well, how bad could this possibly be._

 _...Ah shit, I just tempted fate, didn't I?_

* * *

By the time Dad and I finally made it home it was almost dark outside. We had stopped briefly to pick up some dinner from a small Chinese restaurant on our way home, which I had happily eaten. Not having breakfast and having a small lunch didn't exactly make for a pleasant day, then again neither did going to your best friend's funeral.

I shook my head as I climbed the stairs, trying to keep myself from going back into those thoughts. I really didn't feel like having another emotional breakdown yet. Making it into my room I dropped the new satchel I had been given onto my bed.

It was then I remembered that the Deputy Director had mentioned that there were some informational packets that I should read. Informational packets that I had with me that would probably make a good distraction from thinking about what had happened this morning.

Opening up the satchel I rummaged through it, taking the shirts out of it first. Most of them I realized were quite oversized, making it easier to hide the packets under. I definitely wasn't going to wear any of those out in public, though they would make for good sleep shirts.

Finally, once the bag was completely emptied, I grabbed out one of the packets at random. "Huh… 'The State of Brockton Bay'. I wonder what this one is about?" I muttered as I opened it up. Little did I know that I had just started another night where I wouldn't get much sleep.

Who knew that informational packets could be this interesting?

* * *

 _ **End chapter 1.3**_

 _ **Next chapter: 'The State of Brockton Bay', a who's who of the local gangs in the area.**_

 _ **Also known as: an info dump of who are in what gang and what there powers are. Also an excuse to give some background on a couple of OCs that may or may not actually survive very long.**_


	4. Chapter 1-x

_**Interlude 1.x - TLDR available at the bottom.**_

 _ **Chapter also known as: The Pre-Canon Changes Info Dump.**_

 **The State of Brockton Bay**

 **Division: PRT East-Northeast, Brockton Bay**

 **Document Security Level : 1 (limited availability to public, not for mass distribution)**

 **Last Updated: July 30, 2009**

 **Note: All PRT employees are to review this information on a bi-weekly basis. Any updates require review as soon as possible.**

* * *

 **This documentation is meant for the listing of known criminal parahumans affiliated with major gangs. No information on this document should be interpreted as meaning any of these parahumans are non-hostile for any reason.**

 **In the event of encountering any of the parahumans documented below, please report the encounter to the proper console channel and await further orders.**

 **No PRT agent is to attempt to subdue or arrest any of the individuals documented below without prior approval of console and the backup of at least two squads and/or onsite Protectorate members.**

 **This document only lists members of the major parahuman gangs in Brockton Bay. For other minor criminals, please see document 'Minor Criminals, Rogues and Vigilantes of Brockton Bay'. (requires Security Level 2)**

 **Empire Eighty-Eight**

 **Also known as: Empire 88, E88, The Empire**

 **Current confirmed parahuman count: 9**

 **Potential additional parahumans: unknown, minimum of 3.**

 **Synopsis:**

The Empire Eighty-Eight is the longest standing parahuman gang currently in Brockton Bay. Their primary motivation is 'White Supremacy', taking inspiration from Nazi Germany. The Empire mostly benefits from protection rackets and high quality opioids. The Empire mostly operates in the downtown and southern parts of the city.

Intel shows that it is very likely that they receive additional support from the European parahuman group 'Gesellschaft'.

 **Members:**

 **Kaiser (Leader)**

 **Shaker 8**

Able to create objects made of iron and steel from nearby solid surfaces. This power allows him to attack from unexpected angles at high speed with high potential lethality. Has been leader since the death of founder, Allfather.

 **Krieg**

 **Shaker 5, Brute 3**

External kinetic energy manipulation. Can slow down nearby opposition while simultaneously bolstering his own physical strength.

 **Hookwolf**

 **Changer 4, Brute 7**

Transforms into a wolf-like creature made of assorted blades and metal. This form is incredibly durable and dangerous. Damage done to this form quickly regenerates.

 **Fenja**

 **Breaker 5**

Can vastly increase size while inversely decreasing the size of incoming attacks. At double her normal size attacks against her are also shrunk by half. Wields a sword and a shield, which are also affected by her power.

 **Menja**

 **Breaker 5**

Powers appear to be identical to Fenja's. Wields a spear.

 **Crusader**

 **Master 6(projections), Mover 1**

Creates phantom duplicates of himself for combat. These duplicates are only able to interact with organic matter. As such, no standard body armor or weapons are capable of affecting them. These duplicates are capable of flight and are also able to carry Crusader, giving him limited flight.

 **Stormtiger**

 **Shaker 4, Mover 1, Thinker 2(close combat)**

Medium-range aerokinesis. Able to sense changes in airflow within his range, allowing him to track enemies and projectiles. Also capable of forming claws made out pressurized air, capable of cutting through most standard body armors. These powers when combined with his reaction speed and combat knowledge make him a formidable close-ranged opponent.

 **Cricket**

 **Shaker 2, Thinker 2(close combat), Mover 1**

Enhanced natural reflexes and movements. Minor acoustikinesis. Capable of high level close combat while relying entirely on sound. Known to cause sounds on frequencies that disrupt balance.

 **Alabaster**

 **Breaker 3**

Body resets itself to a predetermined state every few seconds, reverting any damage taken in that time period. This power does not remove restraints. Appears to not feel pain.

 **Recently Deceased:**

 **Baron**

 **Brute 4, Trump 1**

Increased durability and physical strength. Capable of spreading this power with those he considered subordinates, though this weakened his own power.

Killed on July 25th by: 7.62mm ammunition fired by Merchant ambush, led by Hotbox.

 **Raido**

 **Mover 6, Thinker 1**

High-speed movement that had a brief delay before activating. Enhanced reflexes while power was active, however this appeared to diminish the longer the power was active.

Killed on July 25th by: 7.62mm ammunition fired by Merchant ambush, led by Hotbox.

 **Potential additional parahumans:**

 **Purity**

 **Blaster 8, Mover 4, Breaker**

High-speed flight. High-powered energy blasts. Form emits blinding light that obscures features.

Recently claimed to have split from Empire Eighty-Eight. No actions to confirm this. Has not turned self in.

 **Night**

 **Breaker 9, Brute 5**

When not in sight of any humans transforms into a large, amorphous creature. This form is capable of high speeds and attacks with both blunt and cutting force. While in this form any human that can see her will cause a reversion to human form, healing any wounds she had accrued.

Recently claimed to have split from Empire Eighty-Eight. No actions to confirm this. Has not turned self in.

 **Fog**

 **Changer 8**

Capable of transforming into a fog-like state. This fog causes massive internal damage to anybody that inhales it.

Recently claimed to have split from Empire Eighty-Eight. No actions to confirm this. Has not turned self in.

 **Unconfirmed: Empire Eighty-Eight may be able to call on members of the European group 'Gesellschaft' for additional parahuman backup.**

 **Archer's Bridge Merchants**

 **Also known as: The Merchants**

 **Current confirmed parahuman count: 5**

 **No additional known parahumans.**

 **Synopsis:**

The Merchant's primary motivation is the manufacturing, acquisition and distribution of illegal drugs. They control most of the opioid production and distribution in the city, which in turn supplies much of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and the southeastern portions of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Merchants operate out of the trainyard, parts of the docks and any destitute parts of town they can gather footholds in.

 **Members:**

 **Crackshot (Leader)**

 **Thinker 4, Blaster 2**

Capable of knowing the bullet trajectory of any held firearm through believed precognition. However, due to addiction to opioids, has dulled reflexes and reasoning. This has caused increasing deterioration of his combat capabilities. Favors high caliber weapons.

 **Skidmark**

 **Shaker 2**

Creates a field that produces a minor push of kinetic energy. Capable of layering multiple fields onto objects to increase effectiveness. Physical traits suggest heavy drug usage.

 **Mush**

 **Changer 4, Brute 1**

Creates an armor of assorted small debris, including but not limited to sand, dust, dirt and small pieces of trash. Capable of limited control over the shape of this form to gather more materials. Has a tendency to include used needles as claws. Physical traits suggest heavy drug usage.

 **Hotbox**

 **Shaker 5**

Can create a barely visible cloud of gas that resembles a heat shimmer. This cloud can selectively cause reduced cognitive functions and reasoning along with nausea on an individual level, allowing targeting of enemies while leaving allies unaffected. The largest known dimensions of this cloud measured a radius of approximately fifty yards while only having a height of five yards.

Recently led an ambush consisting of himself and approximately ten unpowered members armed primarily with AK model firearms. This resulted in the deaths of Empire Eighty-Eight parahumans Baron and Raido, along with the deaths of seven unpowered members and the wounding of eleven other unpowered members. The disorientation caused by his powers allowed the Merchants members to both act and escape unscathed.

Unlike other members of the Merchants, Hotbox does not have any signs of drug addiction. It is unknown if this is a side effect of his power or if he simply does not heavily use drugs.

 **Squealer**

 **Tinker 2, Mover 3, Thinker 1**

Tinker specialized in creating vehicles. Vehicles tend to be large in size and in many cases barely held together. Powers also appear to give an innate understanding of how to operate any vehicle. Physical traits suggest heavy drug usage.

 **Recently Deceased:**

 **Mugshot**

 **Thinker 2**

Capable of remembering and identifying any face perfectly, as long as he was able to see it unobstructed for at least three seconds straight. Could only remember up to ten faces at a time.

Reportedly died from drug overdose on July 19th.

His death was likely the cause of the Merchants ambush on Baron and Raido on July 25th. Most likely as as a power play to pre-empt any probing attacks from the Empire.

 **The Azn Bad Boys**

 **Also known as: The ABB**

 **Current confirmed parahuman count: 2**

 **No additional known parahumans.**

 **Synopsis:**

This gang is the result of the parahuman known as Lung's takeover of many of the smaller gangs in Brockton Bay. After the takeovers, Lung disposed of many of the previous members, leaving only the members of Asian descent. While only having two parahuman members the ABB is able of battling the Empire Eighty-Eight on equal footing. The ABB primarily operates out of the Docks, but has also began contesting many of the northern parts of the Downtown area.

 **Members:**

 **Lung (leader)**

 **Brute 4+, Blaster 2+, Changer**

In his base form he is capable of minor pyrokinesis. The longer the battle goes, the more powerful he becomes in both physical strength and pyrokinesis. His changer form heals him and gives him increasingly draconic traits as he powers up, eventually causing him to no longer resemble a human in any way. There has been no observed upper limit to his growth, as seen with his battle with Leviathan at Kyushu.

 **Oni Lee**

 **Mover 5**

Teleportation based around line of sight. Leaves a short-lived clone where he had teleported, which is capable of short-term independent action. Utilizes knives, grenades and firearms with high lethality, generally targeting non-parahuman members first.

* * *

 _ **TLDR**_ **:**

 _ **E88 doesn't have Rune, Othala or Victor yet, two OCs killed recently by Merchants.**_

 _ **Merchants have two OC members, one of which recently involved in killed two E88 members. One additional OC member recently died of drug overdose.**_

 _ **ABB is ABB. Lung is dragon. No changes needed.**_

 _ **E88 member Raido based of the Elder Futhark rune 'Raido'.**_


End file.
